Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Parliament to be dissolved Saturday
– Ramotar says delay to avoid disenfranchising voters
President Donald Ramotar has ended speculation over the status of Parliament, yesterday announcing that its dissolution is now set for Saturday, February 28.
President
Donald Ramotar
Ramotar, in a statement, also defended the timing saying that had it been done earlier, thousands of voters would have been disenfranchised.
The Head of State pointed out that in November, he prorogued the Tenth Parliament of Guyana.
“As I explained then, that action was taken to allow the parties in Parliament additional opportunities to talk and hopefully resolve the pressing national issues that were confronting us.”
He said he wanted also to give the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) time to have another round of continuous registration to “enfranchise those persons, who, through no fault of their own, did not have the source document to be registered.”
The period of claims and objections ended last Sunday.
Ramotar said that failure by the Opposition to engage in dialogue had left him with no option but to call elections for May 11, 2015.
“I did not dissolve the Parliament at the same time because had I done so, the claims and objections period which also allows for transfers would have been truncated. Were the latter to have occurred, thousands of Guyanese voters who changed their place of residence would not have been able to obtain their transfers, and this could have led to them being disenfranchised.”
On January 20, as pressure mounted locally and internationally to end the suspension of Parliament, Ramotar announced the election date.
This meant that Ramotar, who was sworn in December 2011, would see his Presidency cut short by almost two years. On November 10, facing a no-confidence debate by an Opposition-controlled National Assembly that was unhappy over what was seen as unapproved spending, among other things, President Ramotar announced that he was using his powers to suspend Parliament.
The National Assembly had been in recess for two months and had faced delays over its reconvening, because of wrangling over who had the authority to recall it. It was an unusual situation that Guyana had found itself in.
President Ramotar said that he wanted to stave off political conflict and engage the Opposition on a number of issues. His explanation was met with disbelief by the Opposition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) – equally determined not to engage in talks until the National Assembly was reconvened or elections called.
They threatened to block any contracts signed by Government during the prorogation period.
In his New Year’s message, the Head of State said that he would be announcing a date as soon as possible. The prorogation of Parliament had seen even the diplomatic community being drawn into the limelight.
Outgoing British High Commission, Andrew Ayre, in January made it clear that his Government could not tolerate the current situation. He called for an end to the stalemate, emphasising that Parliament’s scrutiny was imperative to its continued financial assistance. He had immediately attracted a wave of criticism, including the assertion that Government would be happy to see the back of him.
The United States had also urged for the situation to be corrected.
Donald Ramotar had entered Government facing an uphill task after the Opposition managed to gain a one-seat advantage in the 65-seat National Assembly. For over two years, starting in 2012, the Opposition, boosted by that advantage, leveraged on its voting powers, and refused to back key projects.
Falling under the hammer was key legislation, including for the US$B Amaila Falls hydro electric project. Also suffering was an amendment to the current anti-money laundering laws, which would have allowed for Guyana to comply with international regulations.
Funding to several programmes like the Amerindian Development Fund and the US$150M Timehri airport expansion project also suffered.
The Ramotar administration has also not been without its controversy, with questions over the multi-billion drug contracts to a sole entity; the failed Skeldon sugar estate project, and corruption involving key Government officials.
The relations with private media houses also sunk to a low, especially with the publication of threats issued to Kaieteur News by a senior Minister.
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